What is the risk??

[cottontails]

I have a mature bunny, I don't know what her age is as I rescued her, but I was told she was mature. She is slighter biggerthan a dwarfand I was wondering should I get her spayed?

She is an indoor rabbit, in my bedroom, and she has a slight bathroom problem:she poos everywhere{I've tried to put her in the litterbox as soon as I notice} she also does pees sometimes on my bed and on the rug and just occasionly in the litterbox:?

Where as in her cage she does them in the litterbox:?!!!! Will ithelp if I get her spayed, will she become better at peeing and pooing or is the risk to big!!!

Thank you!

 

[Pipp]

I think she needs to see a vet before that question can be answered, you need a better idea of her age and general health.

How long have you had her? Sometimes it just takes time to settle in. They need to get the marking thing out of their system.

Can she come and go from her cage on her own?If she sees hercage as a jail rather than a safe haven, she's not going to beinclined togoin there to poop and pee.

With Pipp, who doesn't have acage,I put litter boxes where ever she tended to go, even on the bed. Once she was really used to using the box on the bed, I moved it onto the floor, and she just used it there.

They tend to keep going in the same spots, you have to get rid of ALL the pee smell (try vinegar and water). Also dip a paper towel in pee and put the towel where you want her to go).

Good luck!

sas and the gang of fur :bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:

 

[Bunman]

Female rabs need to be spayed because they usually get uterine cancer otherwise. About the only reason not to spay would be that she is too old or too young.

I'm unclear how rabbit age is determined or estimated & i would be interested in any info on this.

In my experience rabbits never stop using poop to mark their territory. Some do it more than others.

 

[bbgrl20]

They say spaying and neutering your buns will help them use their litter boxes more. A lot of people here have had very successful spays and neuters. Not only does help with the litter box, it also reduces the chance for does to have uterine cancer and also help eliminate behaviors brought on by ragging hormones I know most people here recommend buns to be spay, the benefits outweigh and real risks, and if you have a knowledgable rabbit vet do the surgery then there are hardley any risks at all! Good luck with you decision:bunnydance:

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I happen to agree, my doe was spayed 3 months ago and I'm so glad I did it. She has stopped marking her territory and her litter habits have improved. She's an outside rabbit so it's sort of hard for them to be perfect when I'm not there to constantly correct any accidents.

I also agree that you should make an appointment with a rabbit savvy vet and ask their opinion on spaying her with her age unknown. They may not be comfortable with it while others may be. You can also have a blood test done at the same time to ensure that there are no problems that could cause her to have a bad reaction to the gas they use to put them to 'sleep'.

Spaying is definitely worth the money and worry, there is an 85% chance that adoe will have Uterine Cancer by the age of 4.

 

[pamnock]

Bunman wrote:

Female rabs need to be spayed because they usually get uterine cancer otherwise. About the only reason not to spay would be that she is too old or too young.

Does more commonly develop uterine tumors. These tumors are not always cancerous.

Pam

 

[MyBoyHarper]

I can't speak about bathroom habits after spaying a female, but I know my boy bunny Harper greatly improved with his bathroom habits after he was neutered. Before he was neutered, we fought with him to use his litter box. Plus, he used to poo EVERYWHERE when he was out of his cage. He left hundreds of little poopies around the house; I was constantly walking behind him with a bag picking them up. After I got him neutered, he is the perfect litter box bunny. He will also hold himself, sometimes for over an hour, until he is back in his cage to use the bathroom.

I do agree with the others, uterine and mammary tumors are SO common in unspayed female rabbits. Getting her spayed cuts down her risk significantly.

 

[Bunman]

The tumors may not always be malignant, but uterine cancer is the #1 killer of female rabbits:

http://www.wisconsinhrs.org/Articles/Spay and Neuter.htm

 

[Pipp]

Bunman wrote:

The tumors may not always be malignant, but uterine cancer is the #1 killer of female rabbits...

I think Pam was just correcting this often misquoted stat: >>>there is an 85% chance that adoe will have Uterine Cancer by the age of 4 <<<

No onewill argue that uterine cancer is the #1 killer, just the above statistic. I do believe the word 'cancer' should be replaced with 'tumors.'I don't know the cancer stat, it's high, but not that high. Moot point, regardless.

Ifanybody got the wrong impression from my post, yes, I'm of the opinion that all female rabbits should be spayed, and spaying meant a marked improvement in Pipp's litter habits, but the question was about assessing the risk, and that can't be done without a vet check up. The surgical risk increases considerably with age. I don't recall offhand the age where spaying is no longer recommended, but I think it's as young as three, and certainly no older than five.Cottontails may have to lookat other training methods.

From what I understand, it's pretty difficult todetermine a rabbit's age. Thevet will have a better idea, butmay not know beyondwide generalities, butas MBB said, a blood test will help determine her general health.

Thecorrection of litter habits may also change with age, although I'm not clear on this. The rabbits mentioned in this thread were all adolescents or young adults withhormonal issues. I don't know if this is the case with an older rabbit, I'd be curious to hear frompeople if theirolder rabbits also hadsignificantly improved litter habits.

sas and the gang :bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:

 

[pamnock]

Bunman wrote:

The tumors may not always be malignant, but uterine cancer is the #1 killer of female rabbits:

http://www.wisconsinhrs.org/Articles/Spay%20and%20Neuter.htm

The quote is actually "The number one killer of foster rabbits coming into the Wisconsin Chapter is uterine cancer. "

Uterine cancer is not the #1 killer of female rabbits, although it is one of the leading causes of death is older female rabbits. Other types of cancer, GI stasis, heart disease and enteritis are also leading causes of death in rabbits.

I highly recommend spaying/neutering, but also know the heartache of many cases when the doe died during surgery or from complications relating to surgery.

I believe owners should make an informed choice and be able to weigh all the risks.

Pam

 

[Bunman]

I have never come across the 85% in 4 figure. What i generally read is that an 85% or so risk of cervical malignancy exists if the doe is not spayed. No mention of age.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Bunman wrote:

I have never come across the 85% in 4 figure. What i generally read is that an 85% or so risk of cervical malignancy exists if the doe is not spayed. No mention of age.

I came accross it today on the HRS website when searching for signs of Uterine Cancer in rabbits. I was just taking it straight from them.

 

[pamnock]

Bunman wrote:

I have never come across the 85% in 4 figure. What i generally read is that an 85% or so risk of cervical malignancy exists if the doe is not spayed. No mention of age.

Age is a major factor. Like humans (and any other mammal for that matter), the risk of cancer increases with age. However, there are many other causes of death in rabbits. I do disagree with the statement on one of the sites that spaying will increase the does lifespan up to 12 years. This is not true. Genetics plays a primary role in lifespan. The statement also doesn't explain why many bucks don't live past the age of 6 (they certainly aren't dying of uterine cancer).

I will point out that I do believe there is a high risk of uterine cancer in does. However, I do want people to be well aware of the risks of any surgery.

I don't want to be in the position where I have convinced someone that the best choice is to have their rabbit spayed, only to have it die on the operating table. As Pipp pointed out -- assess the risks and make an informed decision.

Pam

 

[Bunman]

Some informative articles on rabbit surgery:

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#surgery

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I agree it can be risky but if not spayed as soon as possible, there is a chance of tumors forming and the rabbit would require surgery at that point to remove them which is much riskier since tumors form later in life.

I still agree that a vet needs to look at her and give their opinion on the matter. For all you know she could 4 or 5 already and if she's fine, it might not be worth the risk of putting her under.

Pam, I've never read that it can give an extra 12 years of life but I think it can add another 3 or 4 years possibly although that isn't always the case. I also happen to think a lot has to do with genetics because if you notice, mixed breeds seem to be more resilient to problems than pure breds are (not always the case). I'm wondering the some of the gene pools in breeds have gotten so small that they make certain health issue prominent within the group and perhaps mixing breeds help to eliminate some of those problems. Not only do I mean rabbits, it's often been noted that mixed breed dogs live longer, healthier lives as well with fewer problems.

 

[cottontails]

My problem is that if her bathroom problems don't improve she will have to live outside, which I don't want to happen!I really want her to stay in my bedroom where she is .......but if my mum finds out about all the poops and pees we will both be in trouble!:shock:

 

[pamnock]

MyBabyBunnies wrote:

Pam, I've never read that it can give an extra 12 years of life but I think it can add another 3 or 4 years possibly although that isn't always the case. I also happen to think a lot has to do with genetics because if you notice, mixed breeds seem to be more resilient to problems than pure breds are (not always the case). I'm wondering the some of the gene pools in breeds have gotten so small that they make certain health issue prominent within the group and perhaps mixing breeds help to eliminate some of those problems. Not only do I mean rabbits, it's often been noted that mixed breed dogs live longer, healthier lives as well with fewer problems.

Sorry -- poor wording on my part. I meant there are claims that spaying can extend the total lifespan to 12 years (not add 12 years).

It is very true that mixed breeds (in any species) are more hardy than purebreds. The more we inbreed and limit the gene pool, the more likely a shorter lifespan is (however, without inbreeding, there would be no separate breeds).

In Cottontails situation, I would highly recommend spaying because the rabbit will be banished to an outside hutch if her toilet habits don't improve.

I am more hesitant to recommend spaying in a rabbit that has become such an integral part of the family, she is like a child. In these cases, the loss of the rabbit is devastating -- and this is one of the few reasons (also old age, poor health) that I hesitate in recommending spaying.

I highly recommend adopting a female rabbit that is already spayed. The owner will not have to go through the stress and worry of surgery!

For those who have gotten a new intact female, I recommend spaying ASAP -- before the family gets too attached.



Pam

 

[cottontails]

pamnock wrote:

In Cottontails situation, I would highly recommend spaying because the rabbit will be banished to an outside hutch if her toilet habits don't improve.

I am more hesitant to recommend spaying in a rabbit that has become such an integral part of the family, she is like a child. In these cases, the loss of the rabbit is devastating -- and this is one of the few reasons (also old age, poor health) that I hesitate in recommending spaying.


Pam

Don't get me wrong,......she is my baby, I love her to bits and she loves me{we regularly have grooming sesions} I couldn't have wished for a better personality in a rabbit. It's just that I am the animal lover of the family and I do all the small animal work and a lot for the dog too!{All pets are primarily my responsability.....my parents don't know a thing} so it took a while for my parents to warm up to having the bunny in the house...but now everyone loves her but love can only extend so far in my mums heart if she has to wash my bed covers and rug from rabbit pee which is smelling upmy room! The bunny may go downstairs...put there is complications with that involving my dog!:?

Thanks everyone for posting replies!

 

[Bassetluv]

I highly recommend adopting a female rabbit that is already spayed. The owner will not have to go through the stress and worry of surgery!

For those who have gotten a new intact female, I recommend spaying ASAP -- before the family gets too attached.

I tend to agree with Pam. Yes, there are risks associated with intact female rabbits and uterine cancer, but there are still risks in surgery as well. As happened in my case...I had a male Netherland Dwarf cross - Scooby - for six months and became very attached to him...he was such a sweetheart. But I opted to have him neutered after he had matured and was spraying urine. After reading many of the recommendations here, and hearing of so many success stories posted about people having their bunnies spayed/neutered, I was convinced it was the route to go. Sadly,Scooby died on the operating table - he had some sort of reaction to the anesthetic - and his death was devastating to me. He was still young, was in excellent health, and I wound up blaming myself for it.

Now I have Anna...I adopted her from the Humane Society a few months ago, but only after they agreed to have her spayed before I took her home. Thankfully her surgery went very well, and she is now a happy and healthy family member.

Spaying/neutering can be a good option, but please be aware that there are risks involved, and, as Pam said, losing a family member to a surgery (esp. one that is optional) can be extremely devastating. I believe the best thing to do is to always keep in mind that there are risks, and if you do decide to go ahead with a spay or neuter, research veterinary clinics to find someone who is experienced with spaying/neutering rabbits, and be willing to let go of any self-blame IF something were to happen. If you cannot face the idea that something could happen to your bunny, then I would suggest that it might not be the best route for you. And sometimes there simply aren't options...spaying/neutering might be the owner's only choice in being able to keep their pet. It is for all of the above reasons that I never tell anyone that spaying/neutering is a must...I believe it is all a highly personal decision.

 

[Bunman]

Those who have a choice of rabbit vets may want to ask them how many rab spays/neuters they've done & of those, how many rabbits they have lost in this surgery. This may help in making a choice of vets to do the job.